White-crowned Sparrow: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Birds of North America · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. On migration, this sparrow can rest one half of its brain at a time, staying half-awake for up to two weeks.
2. Its scientific name leucophrys comes from Greek words meaning white eyebrow, a nod to the bold stripes on its head.
3. Some white-crowned sparrows in California stay put all year, while those of another subspecies fly as far as the Arctic Circle to breed.
4. In tests, sparrows played loud road noise spent more time on the lookout and less time eating, so they lost weight.
5. It mostly feeds on the ground on seeds and insects, but sometimes makes short flights to snatch insects in the air.

The quiz

1. How can the white-crowned sparrow stay half-awake on migration?

• It drinks nectar all night
• It sleeps with half of its brain (correct)
• It never closes its eyes
• It sleeps while flying in circles

One half of its brain can rest while the other stays alert.

2. What does leucophrys mean?

• Black cap
• Little singer
• Grey face
• White eyebrow (correct)

Leukos means white and ophrus means eyebrow.

3. How far north can some white-crowned sparrows fly to breed?

• To the Arctic Circle (correct)
• Only to Texas
• Only to Mexico
• Only to Florida

One subspecies may fly as far north as the Arctic Circle each summer.

4. What happened to sparrows exposed to loud road noise in tests?

• They sang louder and ate more
• They fell asleep
• They watched more, ate less and lost weight (correct)
• Nothing changed at all

Noise kept them on watch instead of feeding, so they got thinner.

5. What was added to a church in Norfolk after a white-crowned sparrow visited in 2008?

• A bird feeder on the tower
• A bronze statue
• A new bell
• The bird's picture in a window (correct)

Its image was placed in a window of St Margaret's Church.

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